Ankit Tiwari: People only like singers till the time their songs are featured in films

Singer-composer Ankit Tiwari has some substantial work behind him in Bollywood, but he still seeks an identity that’s truly his own, independent of the glitz of cinema and the limitations of being a playback artist.

The 31-year-old shot to fame with the chartbuster song Sunn Raha Hai Na Tu from the film Aashiqui 2 (2013). Later, he composed for Aamir Khan’s blockbuster PK (2014). Other hits include Tu Hai Ki Nahin (Roy, 2015), Dil Cheez Tujhe Dedi (Airlift, 2016), Tere Liye (Sanam Re, 2016). Despite this, Ankit isn’t fulfilled. “People only like singers till the time their songs are featured in films, ya jab tak kisi bade hero ki playback karte hain (or as long as one sings playback for a major star),” he says.

“Singing for someone else means that singers aur musicians ki apni koi pehchaan nahi hoti (singers and musicians get no recognition on their own). I’m searching for that pehchaan (identity / recognition) through my independent singles,” says Ankit, who is now working on a project titled Originals by Ankit. He will release 12 non-film songs on YouTube, one each month consecutively for a year.

Though he isn’t known to be a songwriter, Ankit feels for lyricists — here’s a group that contributes much to a film’s success but gets little praise for it, he says. “The most thankless job in our film industry is that of lyricists. Next in the list are writers. These two don’t get any recognition at all, whereas they have the most important roles in every film today,” the singer adds.

Success has brought along a disadvantage for him, says Ankit. “The biggest change for me,” he says, “was that ki jab mere baare mein kisi ko pata hi nahi tha (when no one knew about me), there was a margin of error. I could commit mistakes. I don’t think I have that liberty now.”

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